Use of Consumers with Disabilities in Advertising: A Proposal for Research

According to a 2012 US Census Bureau report, in 2010 there were some 56.7 million members of the non-institutionalized US population that had a disability; this represented slightly more than 18 % of the population. The report further stated that people with disabilities in the United States accounted for more than $200 billion in discretionary spending and also spurred technological innovation and entrepreneurship (US Census Bureau). Moreover, in 2008, the federal government spent an estimated $357 billion on programs for working-age people with disabilities; this was about 12 % of total federal expenditures for the year (Brault 2012). However, a cursory examination of current advertising in the US would never lead to the conclusion that about one-in-five persons suffers from a disability, or that this group is a target for goods and services. Not surprisingly, there has not been much academic discourse on the image of disability in advertising.